Hidden Behind the Shadows
by KaeBird13
Summary: Tsuna and Toshi, twins separated at birth, one went to Italy and one stayed in Japan. All both ever wanted was to protect their family, but some vows are doom to fail. On the twins' seventh birthday, Nono gets a call saying that Iemitsu and his son, Tsunayoshi, had been killed in a fatal accident. Smart!Tsuna, OOC!Tsuna, and Strong-But-Not-Too-Strong!Tsuna, no character death.
1. The Birth of the Twins

**Finally, my new story that I've been promising! Sorry it took me so long to post up, my life got hectic. **

**Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR**

* * *

"Congratulations, Mrs. Sawada." The doctor said as he gently picked up the newborn baby. "You have successfully given birth to two healthy twins."

Sawada Nana gave a soft smile as she looked at her husband, Sawada Iemitsu, who looked like he could be the happiest man on earth. To tell the truth, Nana was furious when she found out she was having twins. Ever since she was a little girl, her dream had always been to marry a blond foreigner and give birth to his blond son. When she found out her dreams were being hampered by an extra, she nearly had a tantrum. But Iemitsu looked so happy when she told him they were having twins that Nana decided that she would have to just grin and bare it.

The doctor came closer and Nana's breathing escalated. It had finally happened, she is going to meet her little blond angel.

"Here's your eldest by ten minutes, Mrs. Sawada." The doctor extended his arms to show the babe to his mother. "Isn't he cute?"

Nana froze. This could not be happening. This could _not_ be happening. "Excuse me," She said in a cold tone. "but that is not my son."

The doctor raised an eyebrow while frowning. "This is your son, Mrs. Sawada. I would know, I helped deliver him."

Iemitsu gave a hearty laugh. "I'm sorry sir, the medicine must be affecting her brain. That's our first born son, Nana. Don't you want to hold him?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

Nana scowled. "Shut up! That is not my son! I refuse to call that _thing_ my son!"

After all, Nana's son had to be blond. She didn't know whose baby that little creature with the wild patch of brown hair was, but it wasn't hers. Her baby just had to be blond.

"Nana!" Iemitsu said in shock.

The doctor adopted a dark look as anger radiated from him. He had seen many things in his long career as a doctor, but this was the first time he had seen a mother outright refuse her child. It was disgusting and cruel. How dare she look upon this child who had taken his first breath only minutes ago as if he were nothing more than unwanted dirt. It made him physically sick.

The baby shifted in the doctor's arms, his eyes closed as he sighed with content. Soon he would wake up and begin to cry, his hungry wails begging for his mother's milk. And if that said mother denied her child the right to even eat, the doctor might just do something that would get him fired and banned from hospitals everywhere.

"That is _our_ son!" Iemitsu growled at his wife before turning to the doctor. The man slowly transferred the babe into his father's arms. Iemitsu's angry face softened as he looked lovingly at his son. How could Nana say this wasn't their child? He was perfect. Large brown eyes blinked open and the baby looked up at his father in curiosity.

"He can be your son." Nana growled right back. "But I will not call him mine!"

Before Iemitsu or the doctor could say anything, the sound of a second baby's cry interrupted them. The nurse who had been silently watching the scene before her with horror looked down at the younger Sawada in surprise. She had almost forgotten the existence of the second twin.

"Mrs. Sawada." The nurse said quietly, her voice full of venom. "Here is your _second_ son."

Nana's eyes lit up as the nurse brought her child. Here he was, finally! Her little blond angel! "Aw, hello there cutie." She cooed as she accepted the child into her arms. "Don't cry now, Mama's here. Aren't you just the most adorable thing ever?"

Iemitsu's face was shadowed as he silently handed his elder child back to the doctor. "Nana," He said as his limbs slightly trembled.

"Hm?" Nana smiled brightly at her husband. "What is it dear? Do you want to hold your cute son?"

"What is wrong with you?" Iemitsu spat, his face red. "How can you completely ignore our son?"

Nana cocked her head, her face full of innocent confusion. "What are you talking about dear? This is our son." She gently rocked the blond haired twin in her arms. Her smile vanished as her eyes darted towards the doctor. "Unless you're talking about that creature over there. I don't care what you do with him, as long as you get him out of my sight."

There was silence as Iemitsu, the doctor, and the nurse just stared at Nana. There were no words to describe this situation.

Iemitsu turned his back on the brown haired woman. "Goodbye Nana." He said stiffly, taking back his son from the doctor's arms. "We are getting a divorce."

Nana's jaw dropped open and tears filled her eyes. "Wh-what? You're leaving me? Why!"

Iemitsu glared at her, his eyes filled with disgust. "If you can't figure it out for yourself, then there's really nothing I can say. I thought I knew you. I thought wrong."

"You're terrible!" Nana spat. "You can't just leave me! You can't just leave our child!"

_Smack!_

The doctor waved his hand in the air as Nana slowly touched her burning cheek.

"That's going to get me fired." The doctor grunted. "But it was the most satisfying thing I've ever done in my life."

The nurse nodded vigorously, wishing that she had enough courage to do the same thing.

"Nurse Kiroza, can you instruct Mrs. Sawada on how to breastfeed?" The doctor asked the young nurse, but his tone was firm. "I'm going to prepare beds for the twins in the nursery."

As the doctor walked out the door, he gestured with his head for the young father to join him. Iemitsu followed the doctor without a second glance at his soon-to-be ex wife. Nana was bawling at the 'cruelty' she had been subjected to, clutching her beautiful blond son close to her chest.

"I am so sorry." The doctor said as he shut the door with a small click.

Iemitsu scowled. "For slapping her? Don't be. I would have if I didn't have my son in my arms."

The doctor shook his head. "Oh no, not for that. I don't regret that at all and certainly won't apologize for it. I'm sorry for your..." What exactly was he sorry for? Was he sorry that the man's wife turned out to be a demon in disguise? Was he sorry that she rejected his eldest? Or for his divorce? "I'm just sorry."

Iemitsu looked at him knowingly. "Thanks. I"m sorry for your job. If you want, I could find you a new one. The company I work for is always in need of good doctors."

The doctor flashed him a relieved grin. "That would be wonderful. To be honest, I was a little worried about that. I can't feed my wife and two kids on a non-existent salary."

Grief filled the eyes of the blond haired man. "I know with my connections I can get full custody of this little one." Iemitsu looked down at the bundle in his arms. The elder twin's doe eyes were roaming around the room, as if the little boy were examining his surroundings. He had not uttered a single sound since he came out of the womb, except the expected crying. "But I doubt I could with the other one. She is their mother after all, and I can't legally take them away from her."

The doctor rested a hand on Iemitsu's shoulder. The poor man. He had two sons, not just one, and he loved them equally. Unlike somebody else. It was cruel that he had to be separated from one of them all because of one woman's selfish actions.

"The babies have to be in the hospital for one full day before you bring them home." The doctor told the man. "So we can keep an eye on them and make sure that everything's okay."

Iemitsu nodded and brought up his child so they were eye to eye. "You're gonna come live in Italy with me. Do you like that? Huh, Tsunayoshi?"

The baby looked at his father and smiled, a happy gurgle coming out of his mouth.

Iemitsu bubbled with happiness and he laughed. "So you're talking now? Are you telling me you like that idea?"

"I need to take him now." The doctor held out his arms expectantly. "It's time for his check up."

Iemitsu grudgingly gave up his little Tuna fish and watched as the doctor walked away with his son. With a sigh, he pulled out his cellphone. He needed to make a call. It rang a few times before the other person finally answered.

"Hello, Nono." Iemitsu said. There was a pause before he sighed again.

"Not good, sir. My wife's crazy and I'm getting a divorce." Iemitsu ran a hand through his hair. "She gave birth to twins and then refused to acknowledge the older one as her son."

A minute went by as Iemitsu listened to the other person on the end of the line.

"Yes sir, I am coming back to Italy. My oldest son is coming with me. Do you think you can pull a few strings and get me complete custody of him? His name? Oh, it's Tsunayoshi." Iemitsu frowned. "No. I know I have a love for tuna fish, but that's not why I named him that. What? No, of course not! Sir, those accusations are completely outrageous."

Tears formed in his eyes. "I don't know what the second one's name is. I had to name Tsuna myself, Nana refused to even look at him. I doubt Nana will let me help pick out a name seeing as we're getting a divorce. But I will find out, and I will take good care of him even though I won't see him all the time."

Iemitsu began to pace as the other person talked. "I still don't want them involved in the mafia. I'll be bringing Tsuna back to Italy with me, but I want him to be kept secret. You're the only one who can know that my son's living with me in Italy. When he's old enough I'll let him know about my true job. I know because of their connection with me they'll never be free of the mafia, but I promise to keep them safe. Even Nana. People might get suspicious if I suddenly sever my connection with CEDEF, so I'll continue to be the boss of that. I'll just go on less missions and slowly transfer the lead over to Lal."

Iemitsu cracked a smile. "Thank you Nono."

The phone slipped out of his hand as Iemitsu slid down to the floor, resting his head in between his hands. A soft sob escaped his lips as his shoulders shook. One of the happiest days of his life had ended up the crummiest.

* * *

Three-year-old Tsuna blinked open his large brown eyes and looked around at the walls of his bedroom. For some reason he had woken up with an excited feeling in the bottom of his tummy, but he can't remember why today was an important day. He threw off his covers and padded into the kitchen of the small apartment his shared with his daddy. He saw his father's strong back working away at the stove and wondered why he was up so early. His daddy never got up early unless it was a special day, or he got a phone call from that one person.

"Good morning, daddy." Tsuna said in perfect Italian.

"Good morning, Tsuna." Iemitsu said back in Japanese. They used both languages in the house. While they lived in Italy, Tsuna was predominantly Japanese and Iemitsu didn't want him to forget his heritage. "Happy birthday! I've made your favorite breakfast!"

Oh, that's why Tsuna woke up feeling excited. He was four as of today!

"Have you called Toshihide?" Tsuna switched to Japanese as he hopped into his chair. He was a little small for a four-year-old, so he sat on a couple of large books. One of them was the Italian to English dictionary he had gotten for his birthday last year, and even though he couldn't read all the big words yet, he had fun looking at the pictures.

Iemitsu froze slightly at the mention of Tsuna's younger twin before he plastered a fake smile on his face. Turning around, he brought his son his plate of breakfast. "I haven't yet, but I will after we finish eating."

Tsuna's small face filled with hope. "Can I talk to my brother this year then?" He pleaded.

"We'll have to see." Iemitsu said before he bit into a strip of bacon. The letter he had gotten in the mail today felt like it weighed one hundred pounds in his pocket. It was from Nana.

_Dear Iemitsu,_

_It's been nearly four years since our divorce, and to be honest I miss your company. I still love you. I'm still willing to take you back, no questions asked, if you ditch that creature. Come on, don't you want to come see our Toshihide?_**[1]**

_With much love,_

_Nana_

A picture came with the letter, it was of Nana and their youngest child. Toshihide looked exactly like Tsuna, except he was a little taller and had spiky blond hair. Both of them had large bright smiles, and Toshihide had his arms wrapped around his mother's neck.

With something hard in his throat, Iemitsu reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture. "Hey Tsuna, do you want to see a picture of your brother?"

Tsuna's eyes lit up like today was Christmas morning and he nodded eagerly. Iemitsu handed him the picture and watched as his bright son studied it as if he were committing the faces to memory. A small smile adorned his small face, before it crinkled into a frown.

"Hey, daddy," Tsuna held the picture up. "is this my mommy?"

Iemitsu looked away. "Yes." He said hoarsely.

"She's pretty." Tsuna breathed out. "That's really my mommy? Do you think I can speak to her too? I want to meet her, daddy! Can I meet my mommy?"

After getting no answer, Tsuna looked up to see tears streaming down his father's face. Why was his daddy crying? Small hands reached up and touched the wetness on Iemitsu's cheeks. The leader of the CEDEF glanced down to see his little Tuna Fish staring up at him with worry.

"Ah, sorry." Iemitsu stood up hastily wiping the tears away, his breakfast forgotten. "I have to go to work today. One of my colleagues has offered to babysit you. He has a son your age."

"Colleagues?" Tsuna cocked his head, his daddy's tears forgotten with the prospect of meeting a new friend. For some reason, his daddy never let him out of the house that often. That reminded him of something he heard over the phone a couple of days ago. "Hey daddy, what's the mafia?"

Iemitsu froze and looked down at his son in shock. "Tsuna, where did you hear that?"

Tsuna shrugged. "I heard you talking to that one person you call Nono, and you said something about the mafia. I tried looking it up in the dictionary, but for some reason the page was gone."

Iemitsu's mind raced as he searched for the answer. He had purposely torn out the page in his son's dictionary just so that he could avoid this question. Apparently, he wasn't careful enough. What should he do? He didn't like lying to his son, those big brown eyes filled him with guilt each time he did it. He always felt like Tsuna could tell when he was lying. But at the same time, four-years-old was a bit too early to begin learning about Italy's darker side.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Iemitsu ruffled his son's gravity defying brown hair. "Go get dressed now, otherwise we'll be late."

"But I haven't finished eating!" Tsuna complained, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Iemitsu melted at his son's adorable expression. "Finish eating first, then go get dressed. It'll be fine if we're late just this once."

"You should have woken me up earlier!" Tsuna said as he shoveled in his food.

"I was going to," Iemitsu said as he walked to his room to change his clothes. "but you looked so cute asleep that I couldn't bare to wake you!"

Tsuna just shook his head at his father's silly antics before finishing his food and rushing to change his clothes. Twenty minutes later they were in the car with Iemitsu grumbling about their lateness.

Tsuna was advance for a four year old, his mind was quicker and could easily perceive and decipher information. His daddy liked to call him a genius, even though he knew that his Tuna Fish didn't like it. Tsuna had no idea that he was smart, he thought it was completely normal for four-year-olds to be fluent in two languages on the way to learning a third. Or for four-year-olds to be studying 2nd grade math.

And that's why Tsuna thought it to be perfectly normal for him to know that his daddy was lying to him about his job. What kind of construction worker drove a corvette and hired private tutors for his son? But Tsuna never called him out on it, he believed that someday his dad would come out and tell him exactly what he did for a living. Even though he promised himself that he wouldn't push his daddy for information, he found himself getting excited to meet his daddy's colleague. Maybe he would be able to figure it out for himself what his daddy's job was. Perhaps it had something to do with that 'mafia' his daddy didn't want to talk about earlier?

"Listen up, Tuna Fish." Iemitsu said seriously as he neared the place. "You have to be careful not to tell anybody that you're my son."

Tsuna glanced up from the light novel he was reading in confusion. "What do you mean, daddy?"

Iemitsu briefly closed his eyes. "My line of business," He said after a pause. "is very dangerous. People might come and attack you if they know that you're my son. My colleague thinks that you're the son of my deceased sister and that I'm just taking care of you until we can find you a better home. That's the story you're suppose to tell if anyone asks."

Tsuna's eyebrows were furrowed as he frowned. Finally he nodded. "Is that why you keep a gun underneath your pillow?"

Iemitsu flinched in shock. "You knew about that?"

Tsuna just nodded. "The son of your sister... Does that mean I should call you uncle when other people are around?"

Thanking the heavens that his son was not a normal four-year-old, Iemitsu nodded. "You'll be staying at the house of my friend Gokudera-san. His son, Hayato, is around your age if I remember correctly. Maybe just a little older. They have a daughter too, Bianchi I think it was."

A minute later, a large castle came into view. Tsuna pressed his small hands against the glass, his lips parted in wonder. "Is this where they live?" He asked in a soft voice.

Iemitsu grimaced. "My colleague is rather wealthy."

No wonder his daddy drove an expensive car. There were two things Tsuna had learned about his father's job. It was dangerous, but the pay was good. Just what was this mafia?

After going up an unnecessarily long driveway, they finally came to a stop at a large iron fence. Iemitsu pulled up to a speaker built into a carefully designed marble column.

"Um, hello?" Iemitsu called out after he had rolled down his window.

There was a pause before a deep voice crackled out of the speaker. "You have ten seconds to state your name and your business." The voice said in Italian.

Iemitsu cursed the paranoia of the mafia and spared a glance at his befuddled son before answering back in Italian. "My name is Iemitsu Sawada. I'm here to see Mr. Gokudera. Strictly Vongola business."

Half a minute passed by. "I see." The voice said from the speaker. The gate shuddered and creaked open. "Please drive up to the drop off circle by the front doors. The master is waiting to see you."

_Vongola._ Tsuna thought as he daddy started to drive again. _That sounds like another clue._

Tsuna was introduced to Gokudera-san, the owner of the large castle. His daddy spoke to the man in low tones for several minutes before Gokudera-san nodded carefully.

"Come this way, Tsunayoshi-kun." Gokudera-san said. "One of the maids will show you to Hayato."

"Okay." Tsuna skipped to the large front doors. He stopped and waved to his father. "Bye bye, Uncle Iemitsu!"

"I'll come pick you up at four, okay Tsuna?"

Tsuna nodded before disappearing into the castle. Iemitsu got back in his car and drove down the long stretch of driveway. He closed his eyes as a wave of sadness washed over him. It was only for one day. So why did hearing 'bye bye Uncle Iemitsu' instead of the usual 'bye bye daddy' hurt so much?

His phone rang. Without looking at it, Iemitsu flipped it open and held it up by his ear. "Hello, Nono." He said in an even voice. A second passed by and he scowled. "Another assassination attempt? Where is it? I'll be on my way. I'll be taking Lal and Oregano."

Back in the Gokudera castle, little Tsuna was in awe. The place was so big, so grand. Nothing at all like the little apartment he lived in with his daddy. Marble statues, large portraits of family members painted by famous artists, and expensive vases decorated the hallways. The people he passed by always had stern faces and an air of professionality about them. Most would find it intimidating, but Tsuna found it fascinating. This place was so different, and Tsuna was drinking it in greedily.

"Hayato-sama is this way, Tsunayoshi-sama." The maid led him to a room. As they neared it, Tsuna began to hear soft piano music. Peeking in, he saw a small silver haired boy his age playing the piano with a silver haired woman sitting next to him. When he blinked, the silver haired woman was gone. Tsuna cocked his head, did he imagine that?

"Hayato-sama," The maid called. Tsuna glanced up and noticed that her face was twisted up in disgust. He frowned slightly, why was she looking at Hayato like that?

The sound of the piano stopped and the silver haired boy turned around with a scowl on his face. "What do you want?"

"This is Tsunayoshi-sama. Your father has requested that you entertain him during his stay here." The maid gently pushed Tsuna in the room. Hayato tched and looked away, but not before Tsuna got a glimpse of his eyes. Hidden underneath a shield of anger was a layer of raw sadness and loneliness.

The maid left the two of them and Tsuna walked up to Hayato and stuck his hand out. "My name's Tsunayoshi, but call me Tsuna!"

Hayato looked at the small brunette and couldn't help but shake his hand. There was just something about the way he stared at you, like he was incredibly kind but wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Gokudera Hayato." He said.

Tsuna glanced back towards the piano. "Hey, did your mother teach you the piano?"

Hayato couldn't help but be taken aback by the boy's blunt curiosity. "No. I had a piano teacher, but she disappeared around a year ago."

Tsuan frowned. "Strange. Did she have silver hair like you?"

"Yeah, she did. Why?"

Tsuna shrugged. "No reason. What do you want to do?" He really wanted to ask Hayato why the maid looked at him in a mean way, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't get a straight answer. He really wanted the boy to open up to him and see why he was so sad.

"We can go to my room." Hayato reluctantly suggested. What was he doing? He wasn't this friendly with anyone! There was just something about this boy, something so welcoming. Hayato felt like he could trust him with his life. He was like the sky, cheerful and open, willing to accept anyone.

Tsuna nodded with a big smile. He was going to make Hayato his first friend. "Your house is so big!" He gushed as he skipped behind the silver haired boy.

"It's too big." Hayato muttered so softly that Tsuna wasn't sure he heard him correctly. "It's too big and empty and lonely."

Tsuna took this in. Maybe Hayato needed a friend just as much as Tsuna did.

"Hayato." A older feminine voice said from a doorway the two just passed. A terrible smell assaulted Tsuna's nose as Hayato stiffened and turned around.

"Ane-Aneki." He said with a hint of fear. So this was Hayato's sister? Oh yeah, his daddy mentioned something about that.

"You have a friend over?" The pink haired girl looked at Tsuna.

"Yup!" Tsuna answered before Hayato could. "I'm staying here while my uncle is at work. My name's Tsuna."

"Is your uncle in the same line of work as my father?" Bianchi asked in Italian. Hayato was about to intervene and say that the boy didn't know Italian when...

"Well, he called your father his colleague, so I suppose so." Tsuna replied in Italian. Hayato looked at his friend (could he call him that?) in wonder. There weren't many four-year-olds like him that could fluently speak two languages. His tutors had always praised him as a genius. Looking back, Hayato noticed that Tsuna didn't speak like most four-year-olds, he spoke like he did. Mature for his age and not littered with toddler grammar.

"Then you both can sample my new cookies." Bianchi said as she held up a tray of baked goods. Hayato's stomach twisted uncomfortably as he looked at the purple mist wafting off the cookies. A worm could be seen wiggle out of one of them.

"Um, no thanks." Tsuna blanched. "I have a feeling that those would give me a tummy ache."

Hayato grabbed Tsuna's wrist. "Run! That's the only way we can escape her!"

The two boys dashed through the hallways of the castle as the older girl chased them with her trays of poison cooking. Several unfortunate servants were caught in the chase and two of them had to go to the hospital due to food poisoning.

"Get in here." Hayato yanked Tsuna into a cupboard in one of their many kitchens. The two held their breaths as the sound of Bianchi's footsteps entered the kitchen.

_Please don't find us. Please don't find us. Please don't find us._ Hayato repeated his new mantra in his mind. He did not want another stomach ache, not today.

Tsuna's cheeks were slightly pink from all the running they had done. _That was so much fun!_ He thought as he resisted the urge to giggle. Not once in his four years of existence had he had this much fun! Friends were amazing!

Two new footsteps entered the kitchen.

"Bianchi-sama!" One of the maids said. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Bianchi muttered. "Do you want a cookie?"

"No-no thanks." A second maid stuttered. A second later they heard Bianchi leave the room. Tsuna and Hayato both breathed a sigh of relief and were about to leave when one of the maids started speaking.

"Did you hear Hayato-sama play the piano today?" The first maid asked.

"Yeah, it was so pretty. It's too bad he had to learn it from that whore." The second one said with a sigh. Hayato froze, his hand inches from pushing the cupboard open. Were they talking about his piano teacher who had disappeared a year ago?

"Sh!" The first maid hissed. "Don't talk about Hayato-sama's mother that way! I liked her!"

His... His mother?

"She still had an affair with the master after he was already married." The second one said boredly.

"Well, I heard that the master spent years trying to convince Hayato-sama's mother to wed him, but she refused him every time."

"And why would she pass up the chance to marry into wealth?"

"Apparently she had a terminal disease and didn't want to leave the master all alone. She convinced him to find a new love, which is why he married the mistress. But he was still in love with Lavina-sama, which is why Hayato was born." The first maid said in hushed tones.

His mother... was the piano teacher?

"Well, she's dead now. There's nothing we can really do about it." The second maid yawned. A light smacking sound was heard.

"Hey, don't talk about the dead in that way! Lavina-sama died in a cruel accident, there was nothing that could have been done. What I find sad is that the master is still grieving her death and can't bare to tell Hayato-sama the truth yet."

She was dead. His mother was actually the pretty piano teacher, and the reason why she disappeared was because she was dead. Tears formed in Hayato's eyes and he began to shake. Tsuna put a comforting hand on Hayato's shoulder. His intuition had been right, Hayato's mother was the one who had taught him piano.

The two maids finally left and the two boys climbed out of the cupboard. As soon as they were out, Hayato sat on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. Sobs racked his body.

"I always wondered why the servants never seemed to like me." Hayato said through his sobs, not caring that Tsuna was listening. He just needed to get it all out. "Or why my mom avoided me and always gave me a half smile, unlike the full smile she would give Bianchi. I know why now! It's because she's not my mom! My piano teacher was."

Tsuna patted his back, not quite sure what to do. He had seen his dad cry on occasion, but this was the first time he had seen someone outside of his family cry.

"She was so kind." The silver haired boy whispered. "She would always bring me presents on my birthday. Her smile was warmer than the sun and I always felt safe when I was around her. I only got to see her a couple days of the year, but I looked forward to those days. And now she's dead and she's not ever coming back. I miss her! I want her to come back!"

Tsuna looked down for a few minutes. "You know," He said in a whisper just like Hayato. "she sounds like a wonderful mother."

Hayato looked up at him bitterly. "How can you say that? Your mother must be so much better than mine! I don't want your pity."

"I've never met my mother."

Hayato took another look into Tsuna's big brown eyes and all he saw was honesty and understanding. Tsuna slowly put his arms around the slightly older boy and gave him a hug. "You don't have to be lonely anymore. You have your sister. I can tell that she loves you. You have your dad, I'm sure that he loves you. And you have me, and friends never let their friends be lonely."

Another sob choked out of Hayato's throat, but for a different reason. "Friends." He said as he hugged Tsuna back.

Tsuna let his friend empty his tears while he patted him on the back. His daddy always patted him on the back when he was sad. He hoped it made Hayato feel better just like it made him feel better.

"How do I know that my dad really loved my mom?" Hayato asked as he broke their embrace.

"Ask him." Tsuna said without missing a beat.

Hayato nodded and stood up. They walked through their maze of a castle with Tsuna trailing a few steps behind his friend. They didn't speak, Hayato was still sorting out his thoughts. After traveling through a maze that Tsuna was sure he was going to forget the moment he thought of something else, the pair came to a stop in front a grand door. Hayato paused and took a deep breath in, before pulling the door open without knocking.

"Hayato." Gokudera-san looked up from his paperwork. "Is there something wrong? If you want something, go talk to one of the maids, I'm sure she can help-"

"Father." Hayato interrupted in a grief-ridden voice. "Did you love my mother?"

With a frown, Gokudera-san put down the paper and crinkled his eyebrows together. "I'm not sure what you mean. Of course I do."

"No." Hayato sobbed. "I mean my real mother. Did you love my real mother?"

Gokudera-san's eyebrows took a moment to uncrinkle as he came to terms with what his son said. His hand shot up to his mouth and his eyes began brimming with tears. "Yes. Oh, yes. More than anything in this world."

Tsuna, the smart little kid that he is, wisely left father and son alone to sort things out. He sat himself down in the hallway, far enough that he wouldn't accidently hear their conversation, yet close enough that he wouldn't get lost.

_Does my daddy love my mommy?_

Tsuna blinked in shock at the sudden question that popped into his head. Of course his daddy loved his mommy, after all, he and Toshihide were born. Tsuna was old enough to know that a child was born when a man and a woman loved each other-and thankfully, that was all he knew about that process. If that was true, then why did daddy never speak about mommy? His father's eye always seemed distant and wet whenever the topic of his mother was brought up.

_What was keeping them apart?_

There must be some reason why Tsuna only knew what his mother looked like through picture. There must be some reason why he had never heard her voice before. His chest panged and tears stung his eyes as he realized that he wanted his mother. For the first time ever, he wanted the woman from the photographs to spring to life and embrace him. He wanted to feel her fingers thread through his hair as she whispered, telling him that she loved him.

_I want my mommy._

_But, what if my mommy doesn't want me?_

What a ridiculous thought. Of course his mother loved him. What kind of mother didn't love their child? His mother loved him, and that was that.

Then, why couldn't he get rid of this feeling of heavy sadness?

A hour later, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Lifting up his head, he saw Hayato with red-rimmed eyes, but who was smiling broadly nonetheless. Quickly, Tsuna wiped moisture away from his eyes and offered a bright smile in return.

"Sorry about that, Tsuna." Hayato offered the petite brunette a hand up. "I left you alone for too long."

Tsuna grabbed the hand and pulled himself to his feet. "That's alright, I don't mind."

Hayato shook his head. "No, it's my fault. Friends shouldn't keep friends waiting."

Tsuna couldn't stop the shock from showing up on his expressive face. Then a smile that challenged the sun with its brightness spread his mouth open wide. He may only be four years old, but Tsuna cherished his first friend more than anything.

* * *

It was on Tsuna's sixth birthday that he learned the truth. It had started out like a normal day, he had gone to Hayato's house while his dad went to work and then he was picked up at five so that they could go out to dinner. Tsuna didn't remember much about the dinner, except that it had been fun and the food was good. It was when they were on their way home that Tsuna started to get a funny feeling in his tummy. At first he blamed it on what he had eaten, after all, unhealthy food often caused him discomfort. But he quickly realized that wasn't the cause.

As they got closer to the apartment, Tsuna felt like he was going to throw up. Everything felt so _wrong._ Something bad was going to happen, he just knew it. Tears prickled in the corners of his eyes as he quickly glanced at his dad. Why was he feeling like this?

Iemitsu parked the car in their designated space and walked up the two flights of stairs with this son. Tsuna liked being active, so he prefered to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Iemitsu was just fine with that, he always hated elevators. They were so easily hacked, making them a perfect weapon for assassins.

They had just walked into their rooms when Tsuna flung off his backpack and fled into his bedroom. He had been strangely quiet during the car ride, but Iemitsu didn't call him out on it. His son always told him what was wrong in due time. But this time had been different, Tsuna looked like he was worried about something and Iemitsu heard him sniffling slightly.

"Tsuna?" Iemitsu knocked lightly on his son's door. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Came the curt reply back. Iemitsu raised his eyebrow, whenever Tsuna said he was fine, he really was hurting on the inside. It was a nasty habit his son had developed. He kept his emotions hidden deep inside him until the dam broke.

"What's wrong?" Iemitsu tried opening the door, only to find that it was locked. Slowly, so that Tsuna couldn't hear, Iemitsu pulled out his keys and began rifling for the right one.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You can tell me." Iemitsu said as he slid the key into the lock. It clicked and Iemitsu opened the door. Tsuna was lying face down on his bed, his small hands clutching the pillow tightly. He did not acknowledge his father's presence, instead choosing to just lie there.

After a minute, he shifted. "Don't feel good." He moaned.

Iemitsu sat down on Tsuna's bed and began running his fingers through his son's wild hair. "Was it the food?"

Tsuna shook his head into his pillow. "No. Something's going to happen. Something bad."

Iemitsu stiffened. They were descendants of the first Vongola Don, it was possible that Tsuna had inherited Primo's hyper intuition. But just as quickly as he stiffened, Iemitsu relaxed. Even if Tsuna did inherit they hyper intuition, there is no way it would develop this quickly.

"Everything's going to be okay." Iemitsu murmured. "Happy birthday, son."

Before Tsuna could reply, Iemitsu's cell began to ring. He answered it without glancing at the screen, positive it was Nono calling him.

"Hello, this is Iemitsu." He answered.

"Dad?" A young male voice said from the other line. "This is Toshihide!"

Iemitsu was frozen for a moment before a broad grin spread across his face. "Toshi-kun! Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." The small boy on the other end of the line sounded breathless. "I wanted to call you because I've never heard your voice. Mom doesn't know though."

Iemitsu stood up. "Happy birthday, son. How are things going in Japan?"

Tsuna lifted his head off his bed. "Toshi? Son? Are you talking to my brother?"

Iemitsu nodded at his eldest.

"Things have been good, I guess." Toshihide mumbled. "How are things in Italy, dad?"

"They've been great." Iemitsu flashed Tsuna a grin. "Say, do you want to talk to your older twin brother?"

At this Tsuna perked up and jumped off his bed. Without a word, he grabbed his dad's cell phone and put it on speaker, that way they could both talk to Toshihide.

"Brother?" Toshihide sounded confused. "I have a brother? What are you talking about? Mom never mentioned him!"

Iemitsu's blood ran cold as Tsuna looked up at him, his six year old mind not comprehending what his twin had just said.

Iemitsu chose his next words carefully. "You mean, Nana never told you about your twin?"

"No. Are you sure I have a brother? Mom's never mentioned him, not even once."

Tsuna swallowed thickly. "Toshihide? This is Tsuna. I'm your older brother."

The other side of the line was silent for a moment, before Toshi whispered out a small. "Tsuna nii-chan?"

Tsuna's cheeks flushed with pleasure. "Yeah! I'm your nii-chan!"

Before either of the twins could respond to that, a strangled cry was heard on the other line. "To-chan, who are you speaking to?"

"My nii-chan, mom!" Toshihide said excitedly. "I'm talking to my nii-chan!"

"Give that phone to me, _now!_" There were a few muffled bumps heard and then heavy breathing. "Iemitsu, are you there? How dare you let that creature talk to my sweet little boy! I will not let him corrupt my son, do you hear me?"

"Nana." Iemitsu's voice was cold. "I was simply letting Tsuna talk to his little brother. Our sons need to be acquainted even though they live in different countries. Why didn't you tell Toshi that he had a twin?"

"That _thing_ is not my son!" Nana screeched and the line went dead.

Tsuna slowly stood up and walked back to his bed. What just happened? His mind couldn't come to terms with it, it wasn't clicking. Maybe he was too young to understand what happened. Or maybe, he didn't want to understand.

Didn't... Didn't his mother love him?

He tried and tried again, but the only answer he could come up with was a chilling no.

His mother did not love him.

* * *

**[1] Toshihide in Japanese meas prodigy. Nana in this letter is making another jab at Iemitsu saying 'Come home, don't you want to see out prodigy?'. But don't take this translation too literally. I got it off of google translate. I also thought it matched pretty well with Tsuna's name.**


	2. N-O Spells No, Got That?

**First off I wanted to say how surprised I am by the welcoming my story received. Fifty followers for the first chapter alone. You guys are amazing. I wished I had something more to reward you all with, but sadly this is a short chapter. You see, I was kinda an idiot posting that first chapter when I did, it wasn't like I had three huge tests and two term projects due in the next week.**

**So yup, this chapter is late and short. My bad.**

**Just so that you all know, I'll try to post once a week. **

**Disclaimer: The balance of my bank account says it all.**

**WARNING: This chapter is unbeta'd. All mistakes are my fault. And Tsuna is OOC in this chapter. I was trying to write him in character, but for some reason he didn't want me to. Seriously, it was like my fingers had a mind of their own.**

* * *

"Dad?" Six-year-old Tsuna appeared in Iemitsu's doorway with a frown. The head of the CEDEF looked at his son with a soft smile. His son had changed during the two years since that incident with Nana. He had become more mature, always eyeing the world with knowing, yet sad eyes. He had also become more clingy, almost never letting Iemitsu out of his sight, and keeping close tabs on Hayato. It was like he was afraid he let go of them for one second, they would leave and turn their backs on him. Whenever Iemitsu left for his job, Tsuna would get more than a little worried. The first time Nono had called him out since his little Tuna fish had found out the truth about Nana, he had a panic attack. Ever since then, Iemitsu had been reluctant to leave him, even if it was just for a while.

"What's wrong?" Iemitsu patted his son's fluffy brown hair. How could his ex-wife hate his hair?

Pale pink dusted Tsuna's cheeks as he held up a small orange tie. "I can't put it on."

Iemitsu laughed, partly at his son's embarrassment partly because it was so normal. Tsuna had always been a special little boy, smart and intuitive, but sometimes it was nice to see him struggling with things a normal six-year-old would have a hard time with. Crouching down, Iemitsu lifted up Tsuna's shirt collar and began tying the tie around his neck. When he was done, he smoothed out the collar and ruffled his son's hair one last time. "Ready to go to the party?"

Tsuna grumbled and shuffled from foot to foot. "Why isn't Hayato coming?"

Iemitsu sighed, inwardly rolling his eyes. "His family is out of town, and Bianchi gave the head butler food poisoning. We've been over this several times already, son. He would come if he could, but he's not here." Honestly, it was nice seeing his son care about his friend so much, but sometimes it was just too much.

"I don't want to go to a stupid family party." Tsuna mumbled, but started walking to the door, grabbing his suit jacket on the way out. Iemitsu pulled on his own suit jacket and grabbed his keys, turning off the lights and locking the door firmly behind him.

Tsuna was obviously in a complaining mood as he stuck his bottom lip out at his father. "Why do we have to live in an apartment? With what the Vongola pays you, we could live wherever we wanted!"

"That's right." Iemitsu nodded solemnly. "We could live wherever we wanted, and it just so happens that I want to live here."

Tsuna sighed in frustration and stomped down the short hallway and turned. Iemitsu heard the loud clang of his son trampling down the stairs and had to ruefully shake his head. Tsuna's dislike of elevators had only increased over the years. The sounds of Tsuna's footsteps had stopped as Iemitsu made his own way down the stairs, but he knew that his son would be waiting for him partway down. As always, Tsuna did not like being left alone.

Just as expected, Tsuna was waiting for him by the stairs leading down to ground level. His cheeks were dusted red as he buried his face into his scarf, his breath coming out as white puffs in the chilly October air. Winter was coming early this year, the weather forecasts saying that it was going to start snowing in a week or two.

"Come on, Tsuna." Iemitsu passed by his son. "The party will be fun, just wait and see."

Tsuna sent him a glare. "Yeah, fun. About a dozen mafia families gathered in one place is bound to be loads of fun. And safe too."

Iemitsu could only sigh. He had told Tsuna the truth about his job the night the little kid came up and told him that he discovered what the mafia was. If he was hoping the knowledge would sooth his son, he was dead wrong. Tsuna only became more worried whenever Iemitsu left on a job.

All he could do was wish he could move back time and spare his little Tuna Fish from the pain of knowing the truth. And wonder how in the world a six-year-old could have such a smart mouth attitude.

"It will be fine, do you have the gun I gave you?"

Tsuna bit his bottom lip and patted his pocket. Iemitsu had started to train him to fight on his fourth birthday, the day everything crashed and burned. It was only a small pistol, with a very limited range of accuracy, but it was still lethal in the right hands. Iemitsu had given it to him with the hope that he would never, ever have to use it. But living the kind of life he did, those kind of hopes were vain and bleak at the best.

"Do we really have to go to the party?" Tsuna asked one more time, his voice strained and whiny.

As much as he loved his son, Iemitsu was starting to get a little irritated. "Yes, we do. There are some very powerful people attending this party, people that the Vongola need to make alliances with. And remember, outside of our house you are-"

"Your nephew," Tsuna snapped, irritated as well. "I know."

Iemitsu nodded sharply. "Good."

Tsuna climbed into the car, turning his head away from his dad as he put on the seat belt. He was angry and wanted to make sure his father knew that. But overall, he was trying to ignore the tingling in his belly and the overwhelming sense of dread that crept up on him like a cat stalking a mouse. He didn't tell his dad about his feelings, afraid that he wouldn't believe him. But Tsuna couldn't deny the fact that whenever he had a bad feeling, something bad would always happen. And when he thought about the dinner party the Vongola was hosting, he wanted to throw up.

Something bad was definitely going to happen, and if he couldn't convince his dad not to go, then he was going to do his best to make sure the bad thing didn't happen.

* * *

Sixteen-year-old, since yesterday, Xanxus took a sip of the blood-red wine as he watched his three older brothers flirt with the young women present at the party. It was disgusting, really, how the busty women threw themselves at his brothers' feet, practically kissing them. Money, fame, and power really could buy you anything, especially the affection of women.

His lips curled up with distaste as he drank the last drop of the liquid, feeling the burn sear through his throat. His father was going to kill him if he caught him drinking, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All he wanted was to get himself drop dead drunk, that way he would have an excuse to leave this stupid party.

"I know how you feel." A quiet, bitter voice said next to him. Xanxus's eyes narrowed as he glared down at the small kid with the wild brown hair. He was wearing a tiny suit and tie, making him look like a mini hitman. Xanxus raised an eyebrow as he noticed the slight bulge in his jacket. The kid was carrying a gun, how unusual.

Then his eyes roamed around the people surrounding them. Maybe not so unusual after all.

"I told my uncle we shouldn't have come to this party." The kid said, oblivious to the fact that Xanxus was ignoring him. Oblivious, or just didn't care. "But he didn't care, he never cares about what I have to say. It's like I'm too young to know what I'm talking about."

The kid sent a fierce glare at Xanxus when he noticed that the teen looked like he agreed with his father. "I'm not too young! He still thinks I'm some goofy, clumsy, idiot. Well, I'm not an idiot. But maybe a little bit clumsy. It's not my fault though."

Then the kid looked at Xanxus, as if expecting him to continue on the one sided conversation. The teen grabbed another glass of wine from a waiter, still firmly ignoring the tiny chatterbox.

Just as Xanxus was about to take a long gulp from his drink, a small hand butted his way into his vision. "I'm Tsuna, what's your name?" The owner of the hand asked him.

Xanxus glared at the kid and waved his hand away. "You talk too much, trash."

Whatever Xanxus was expecting the kid to do, getting kicked in the shins was not one of them. It didn't hurt at all, but Xanxus was stunned. Didn't the little freak know who he was?

"I'm not trash, you big bully!" The red face kid jutted his chin out stubbornly. "I'm a person just as much as you are. I don't care that you are grandpa Timoteo's son, that doesn't give you a right to be so rude."

Ah, so he did know who he was.

"Tsunayoshi!" Sawada Iemitsu, the leader of the CEDEF, grabbed the kid's arm and yanked him away, sending Xanxus an apologetic look. "Sorry about my nephew. He's only this headstrong when he's in a bad mood."

"Shouldn't have come to the party." Tsuna, the name the kid had introduced himself as, muttered and kicked the carpet. Iemitsu was right, the kid was in a bad mood, but Xanxus could trace a large helping of worry in Tsuna's eyes. Something was making the kid feel afraid.

And what got to Xanxus the most was the fact that it wasn't him.

"You need to get that attitude checked." Iemitsu growled and dragged his nephew away. Xanxus watched them go until he could no longer see them in the mass of people. That kid was annoying, but he was brave. That alone made Xanxus almost respect him. Almost.

He downed the rest of the glass and slammed it on the table behind him. The thin glass shattered on impact, but once again Xanxus couldn't bring himself to care. He was starting to feel tipsy and finally had a good enough excuse to leave the party. He saw his eldest brother smirk at him as he wrapped his hand around a woman's bottom, and gave him a dark look. Those three perverts were the only people who stood in his way to inherit the Vongola family. They weren't really brothers, more like competitors in an ongoing game. A game Xanxus was going to win, even if he had to dirty his hands a bit.

On his way out he saw the kid, Tsuna. A pretty woman with cropped brown hair was petting his fluffy hair and pinching his cheeks. The kid smiled at her and said something that made her laugh, but his eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. It was a look that nobody should ever have, especially a six-year-old boy.

With a low and ferocious growl, Xanxus put the kid out of his mind. He was just a piece of trash anyway, not even worth his attention.

Tsuna watched the scary looking teenage boy with the wild raven black hair leave the party and bit back the urge to run after him. His dad told him not to talk to Xanxus, he was dangerous and wrathful, one of the reasons why Tsuna had to have a gun. But that's not what Tsuna saw when looking into Xanxus's eyes. He was just like him and Hayato, or how Hayato was before he became friends with Tsuna. Lonely, so incredibly lonely.

And when he first saw Xanxus, his stomach twisted painfully. Something bad was going to happen alright, and it was going to happen to him. Tsuna just knew it.

But the question was, how was he going to stop it?

* * *

"To-kun?" Nana pounded on the door, her voice full with worry. "Come on sweety, please answer the door. Let's talk about this okay? Just you and me."

"Will you let me call Tsuna-nii?" Came a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

Nana sighed in frustration. "I've told you a million times, honey, that creature is not your older brother. It's an awful thing that came in between your father and I, and took his away to Italy, away from you and me. It's the reason why your daddy's not here living with us!"

Something crashed in her son's bedroom, making Nana flinch. For some odd reason, her son wouldn't listen to logic and steadfastly believed in the creature's lies. Why would he open his eyes and see the truth?

Inside his bedroom, Toshihide was fuming. One of his action figures was laying on the floor, having been smashed in a fit of rage. His mother did not have a right to talk about his twin brother the way she did. He was a person, just like he was.

It was Toshi's sixth birthday, he had the right to call his brother. But when he woke up this morning, the house phone was hidden and Nana refused to tell him where her cell was. His wallet was gone as well, making a payphone out of the list of options. The first and last time he had spoken to his elder brother was the day he _found out_ about his brother.

Toshi looked up at the mirror hanging up in his room. What did Tsuna look like? Were they identical twins? Was he short or tall? What color of hair did he have? He wanted to know _so_ badly.

Nana knocked briskly on the door again. "To-kun, I have cake and icecream downstairs. Aren't you hungry? You've been locked up in that room all day, come celebrate your birthday with your mommy."

Toshi glared hatefully at the door. _That_ was the sole reason why he didn't know what his twin looked like. He fell back on his bed and wished his father had taken him to Italy as well.


	3. Gold and Bronze are Both Precious Metals

**Yo! Let's start this chapter off with me apologizing-something that I seem to do a lot-about how late this chapter is. It also is quite short. I really wanted to make this chapter longer, but my life is pretty busy right now, I don't have a lot of time to write. I figured you guys would be happy with the chapter now, no matter the length, instead of waiting another week for a longer one. Let me know if I figured wrong!**

**A special thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! And an another apology to anyone who's review I haven't responded to. Like I said, my life has been pretty busy, but I'll do better this time.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own it.**

* * *

Toshihide quietly opened his door and peaked out into the hallway. Nana had announced that she had quit about an hour ago and was going to bed, but he had to make sure she wasn't waiting to ambush him when he walked out his door. Two years ago he found out his mother was a chocolate lollipop triple dipped in psycho. She appeared to be a model mother and an exceptional woman to others, but once you got to know her true self... Toshi shuddered, that night Nana had screamed and screamed at him for talking to his older twin. Imagine that! He had a twin, a brother! But according to his mother, his brother was not even human, a demon just because he was born. Toshi wanted to throw up thinking about that, you shouldn't treat a human _any less_ than what they are, human. People who thought otherwise were the actual demons themselves.

The coast was clear, Toshi sighed in relief. He ducked back into his room and grabbed his jacket. He hid his mess of blond hair in an orange beeni and pulled on a pair of gloves. It was starting to get cold, there was a constant brisk wind that pelted the bone and stung the nose. Toshi hated the cold, winter was a lonely season that brought out the worst of dark thoughts. It made you question humanity as your fingers froze and your toes went numb. To him it was a rotten season, and yet he was born when winter started to stroke the earth with her cold fingers.

Sock clad feet padded down the hallway as the six year old snuck past his mother's room, sticking close to the walls and clinging to the shadows. He saw the silhouette of the woman who gave birth to him lying in the bed fast asleep.

_You can't stop me now._ He thought with narrowed eyes. Toshi wouldn't let anything get in the way of him talking to his older twin, not his mother, not anyone. Nana had some money stored in a jar up in the pantry. She thought that her 'perfect' son didn't know about it, but then again, Nana didn't know Toshi at all. These past two years had changed him, his resolve had grown stronger. He wasn't the little kid people thought he was, he had to become smarter, better, so that someday he would be able to see his twin. Tsuna nii-chan was all he thought about.

It just wasn't fair! His mother had no right to separate him from his brother at birth! What was wrong with Tsuna? Why didn't Nana like him? Tsuna was Nana's _son_. You can't hate your own children, you just... can't. So why did she?

Toshi shook his head and grabbed a stool from the counter, pushing it over to the pantry. Nana was insane, she deserved to be locked up. A sharp pang bounced against Toshi's chest, making the blond kid gasp and grab his shirt. It hurt! Tears prickled Toshihide's eyelids as he held onto the stool for dear life. Just like the former was true, it was hard for a child to hate their parent. Despite everything, Toshi still loved Nana.

_She's my mother, after all._ He tried to control his breathing. He was only six and Nana was the only family he knew and a part of him, a part that will never die, adored his mother. But... but he knew what Nana was doing was wrong. He grabbed that fleeting thought with both hands, yanking it down and plastering it all over his mind. Nana was wrong, that was what he was fighting against. He would fight for what he knew was right, he would fight for his brother, and he would oppose Nana. That's what his heart told him to do.

The pain gradually began to decrease and Toshi stood up, taking deep breaths in and out. It wouldn't be easy, but then again, nothing worth fighting for ever was easy. The more difficult the challenge, the more rewarding the outcome would be. Hatred was easy, but loving was hard.

Toshi climbed on the stool and grabbed the jar of money, his chocolate eyes briefly flickering orange. He had never been one to take the easy way out.

* * *

Tsuna laughed as the woman ruffled his brown hair, his insides twisting uncomfortably. She looked so much like the woman in the picture his father had given him. He could almost pretend that she was the woman who gave birth to him, showing him affection. That was impossible, his mother hated him. Over and over again, Tsuna told himself that it would be easier to face reality, but he still had dreams where his family was together, he was with his younger twin, and his mother loved him. Those dreams were childish, he didn't have time to act childish.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Xanxus leave. _Go after him!_ His instincts kicked him painfully in the skull. Tsuna rubbed his forehead with hesitation. His dad had warned him not to leave his sight, and quite frankly, Tsuna wanted to listen to his father. Something could happen while he was gone. That didn't stop his intuition from screaming at him to follow Nono's youngest son. These feelings of his had never been wrong before. Xanxus needed help, and only Tsuna could help him.

"Oh, dear!" The woman's hand fluttered to her mouth. "Do you have a headache, little boy?" She asked in Italian.

Tsuna's eyes went wide and innocent. "I fink so, my head hurts real bad. Can you go get me a drink of water, miss?" He twisted his own Italian to sound more babyish. It was so easy to manipulate adults when acting cute.

The woman giggled and patted Tsuna's head again. Tsuna resisted the urge to grab his head and hide it from her. What was up with adults and touching his hair? It was just hair! "Of course I can. Stay right here, I'll be back soon!"

Tsuna bobbed his head up and down with a bright smile. "Okay!" He said cheerfully, the woman giggled and teetered away on her impossibly tall high heeled shoes. The smile dropped off of Tsuna's small face and he backed away. _Yeah right, as if I'll wait._

With an attitude as stubborn as a brick wall, Tsuna darted around the edges of the room. He had to trust that his father would be safe, so that he could focus on saving Xanxus.

The hallway was dark and smelled of liquor. There was a small hint of a floral smell as if some maid had tried to desperately cover up the stench. Overall, it was revolting and Tsuna had to wrinkle up his nose in protest. With one hand running along the wall, Tsuna began moving forward into the darkness. The inky black swarmed around his legs, making each step forward a challenge, like walking thigh deep in water. It swathed his body and crushed his lungs, so that each breath more difficult than the last. Tsuna gulped, his limbs shaking with fright.

_It's just the dark._ His more rational side reasoned. _There's no need to be scared of the dark._ Darkness was only just another way of looking at things, a different shade of lighting. But it also was corrupt, sucking away the brightness in things.

He squeezed close his eyes. He couldn't tell the difference between them open and them close, but it made him feel more secure. Light, he wanted light! Tsuna didn't like the dark and all the things it concealed, things that shunned the light and the joy it brought.

Something warm flickered against his hand. The world behind his eyelids began to glow and slowly Tsuna opened his eyes a crack, a second later they flew opened as a startled gasp tore out of his throat. His hand! His hand was on _fire!_

A small orange flame danced across his fingertips merrily, the tips of the fire licking upwards and then dying out. He needed water! He was going to burn! He was going to...

Wait, it wasn't hot. The tiny fire was warm against his hand, but it wasn't burning him. He turned his hand over in wonder, watching the flame respond by joyously snuggling against his palm. Tsuna's lips parted and one of his father's choice Italian swear words fell out. Iemitsu always said that when he was startled, and his son felt that it was an appropriate word for this situation. Where did the fire come from, and why wasn't it acting like a normal fire should?

Tsuna looked up at the red wall paper and the table he was a foot away from running into. He had wanted light, and a second later the fire appeared in his hand. Did it respond to his wishes? His hand closed into a tight first and the fire twirled above his knuckles. He had wasted too much time, and he wasn't about to do the same with this opportunity.

The decorations of the Vongola mansion were much more grand than the one in Hayato's castle. Both structures were elegant, the mansion beat the castle in both size and grandeur. Tsuna only allowed himself to be amazed for a second before continuing on his quest to find the grumpy teenager. His intuition was really starting to bother him, with it having him tromp down long hallways to find a man who excelled in being rude.

Most of the doors he passed by were closed, with the exception of a few bathrooms and one guest bedroom. Tsuna peeked into that one, only to find it empty. He was starting to worry he accidently went down the wrong hallway. Where was Xanxus?

_Dad might have noticed I'm gone._ Tsuna thought and looked down at his flame. _Should I head back?_ The fire did not answer. Sighing, Tsuna decided to go just a little bit farther, he had gone too far to throw in the towel now.

Five minutes later, Tsuna could see the slight glow of a room with its lights on. His hope started to swell and he picked up his pace. His flame flickered out as he got closer, but Tsuna was too occupied to care. His gut was telling him that he had finally found his target.

However, his hope was squashed down as he heard a loud thump from the room. Was he too late? Did the bad thing already happen to Xanxus?

The tiny six year old rounded the doorway, his breathing hard. For a second he was confused, Xanxus seemed perfectly fine. And then he saw the expression on the teenager's face. The older black haired man was staring at a dropped journal, his face twisted in hurt and unbelieveable fury. Tsuna stepped back just as Xanxus's head whipped around, his piercing eyes fixing on him with an unrelenting murderous rage.

* * *

Sawada Nana's eyes opened as soon as she heard her son creep past her room. She waited until she heard the stairs creak under weight and sat up. Her little To-kun did not know his mother as well as he thought he did. She had been waiting for this moment since this morning. Nana knew without a doubt that her precious angel was going to try and contact the demon that stole her husband away to Italy. As if she was going to let that happen. The creature would corrupt her son just as it did Iemitsu.

Sweeping up her coat, Nana exited her room, softly pulling the door close behind her. She heard the sound of a stool scraping against tile in the kitchen. So he was going after the money jar she had put in the pantry, Nana felt a surge of pride for her baby's cleverness. It was a shame that he was using that cleverness to commit such an evil crime. Nana shook her head, it was a shame that such an evil creature was convincing her son to disobey his mother, she corrected herself. None of this was Toshi's fault.

She watched as Toshi passed by the stairs, money in hand, to exit out the front door. A couple seconds passed as her son pulled on his shoes. During that time, Nana silently glided down the stairs. Toshihide never noticed her as he quietly popped open the door and slipped outside into the chill air. Nana pulled on her own shoes and waited a minute before exiting as well.

Nana could see Toshi clearly as he dashed down the sidewalk. He was beelining towards a payphone three blocks away from where they lived. Nana frowned, didn't her baby know better? She had lectured him time and time again that the creature Iemitsu was protecting was not worth his time. She guessed she should expect little boys to not always listen to their parents, even though they were the people who knew what was good and bad for their children. And _Tsunayoshi_, her lip curled up at the name, was definitely bad for Toshihide. Maybe it was too late for Iemitsu to see reason, but Toshi was still young, she'd get him to see her way in no time at all.

And in order to do that, she had to stop a certain phone call.

Nana walked up slowly to her son as Toshi struggled to count the money with his gloved hands. His clothed fingers fumbled with the change and he dropped a coin. Just as he reached down to grab it, Nana stepped down hard on the coin. Startled, her adorable son looked up in confusion. That confusion was replaced by horror as he recognized the person preventing him from picking up his cash.

"M-mom?" Toshi stuttered and stood up straight.

"Hi-ya, dear." Nana grinned and ran a hand through Toshi's wild blond hair. "What are you doing outside so late at night?"

Toshihide swallowed, looking cute to his mother as he searched for an excuse. "I... I was just..."

Nana giggled and placed a finger across her son's lips. "Come now, sweetie, I think your daddy is busy in Italy. You wouldn't want to bother him, would you?"

Toshi's jaw dropped open. "How... How did you know?"

"Mother's know everything." Nana soothed her baby. "Let's go home, shall we? Before you make any mistakes you know you'll regret later in life."

Nana was doing her best to sound convincing, but apparently she said the wrong thing. Toshi's face went blank and he stepped away from his mother. "So calling my dad is a mistake?"

Nana sighed and shook her head. "Of course not, in fact, I wish for the day where the three of us could life together. It would make me happy if you could see your father every day of your life. What's living with your dad is my problem."

Toshi stuck out his chin. "Then you're saying that calling my brother is a mistake."

Nana clapped her hands together. "Good job, honey! Come on now, let's go home."

Shock ran through her as Toshi slapped away Nana's outstretched hand. "No. I'm not going home until I've called my nii-chan!"

Nana swallowed down her hurt and reached out to grab her son's shoulder. "You will not speak to him ever again! When will you ever understand that?"

"I have the right to speak to him!" Toshi shrugged off her hand. "He is my_ brother!_"

"To-kun, sweetie, please listen to your mommy." Nana lowered her voice. "I don't know where that creature came from, but you have to believe me, he's not my son."

Anger flared in the brown eyes belonging to Toshihide. "How can he not be your son? We're twins. Twins! Even I know that means that we were in your tummy at the same time. You gave birth to him, Tsuna-nii's your son!"

A loud slap echoed through the air. Toshi reached up and touched his smarting face with disbelief. Nana held her hand with a very similar expression. Finally, she looked down at her son with anger. "Look at what you made mommy do, To-kun. That Tsuna is not my son, and you are no longer allowed to speak about him. Do you understand?"

Toshi violently shook his head, he was starting to come out of his shock. "No, I don't! How is it that he's not your son?"

"He doesn't have blond hair!" Nana shrieked.

And that statement hurt Toshi even more than the slap. His mother chose him over his twin... because Tsuna didn't have the same hair color?

Nana closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. "The subject is dropped. We shall have no more talk of that creature any more. Can't you see the wedge he's driving in between our family? Let's go home."

With that, she grabbed Toshi's arm and dragged him back to the house. He didn't resist, he was too stunned. When it finally sank in what she had said, Toshi was already under the covers in his bed. He didn't even try to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks and into his pillow.

Nana stood outside her son's door and listened to his sobs. A fire burned in the pit of her stomach, a fire she hadn't felt in a long time. She had been ignoring this problem for far too long, it was time she put a stop to it. _Tsuna_ needed to go, and needed to go now. She wouldn't stop until she saw him buried six feet under, right where he belonged.


End file.
